Benjamin c



N0. HD 093. Patented Aug. 30, I898.

B. C. SEATON.

THIRD RAIL FOB ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

(Application filed Feb. 4, 1898.)

(No Model.)

1111 III,

r i 17 lint 6171201 4461 2 A .W 'amm awzzw NlTED STATES PATENT BENJAMIN C. SEATON, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO THE ELECTRIC THIRD RAIL AND SIGNAL COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

THIRD RAIL FOR ELECTRIC RAILW'AYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 610,093, dated August 30, 1898. Application filed February 4, 1898. Serial No. 669,140. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN O. SEAroN,

a citizen of the United States, residing at the.

city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Third Rails for Electric Railways, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My present invention relates to certain taken on line I I, Fig. II. Fig. II is a detail,

side view with the nut and Washer of the clamping-bolt removed. Fig. III is a detail sectional view showing a modification.

1 represents part of one of the ties of a rail- Way-track.

2 represents as a whole my improved third rail, of which 3 is the base, 4 the cap or hood,

and 5 the conductor. The conductor is insulated from the base 3 by a strip 5 and from the hood by a strip 6. The conductor is composed of a Web 7, on the edges of which are vertical flanges 8, against which the con-,

tact-shoes connected to the car and which are shown in dotted lines, Fig. I, bear to take of the current.

9 are the feed-in wires lying in behind the flanges 8. The conductor has lateral flanges 10, that serve to keep the shoes from moving vertically out of contact with the flanges 8, so that when the car is in motion a constant bearing between the shoes and the conductor will be assured.

The body of the hood 4 is made of a nonconductor. It is covered by metallic strips 11, which serve to protect it and also serve as a conductor of a current for signal purposes.

in the slots the rail may be raised or lowered to adjust the height of the conductor 5 to suit the elevation of the contact-shoes.

The device as awhole is inexpensive, effective, and durable.

It is possible that in some instances it would be sufficient for the conductor to have but a single vertical flange 8 and lateral flange 10 instead of having them on both sides.

In the modification shown in Fig. III the body of the hood is made narrower, and the metal strips 11 are extended back under the hood and riveted or bolted thereto.

I claim as my invention- .1. In a third railfor electric railways, a conductor having a vertical flange providing an exposed surface for the contact-shoes and a lateral flange, providing a guard for the contact-shoes substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a third rail for electric railways,'a conductor consisting of a web having at each edge a vertical flange providing an exposed surface for the contact-shoes and a lateral flange, providing a guard for the contact shoes substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

8. A third rail for electric railways having a main conductor, and a cap or hood of nonconductingmaterial covered by metallic strips, insulated by the cap or hood from the main conductor, and serving as conductors for signal-currents substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

BENJAMIN C. S EATCN.

In presence of E. S. KNIGHT, N. V. ALEXANDER. 

